Alert! Situation Unfolding: Tukur Mama Received N50 Million As His Portion Of The Ransom From Terrorists

Tukur Mamu received N50 million as his share of the ransom from terrorists following the attack on a train in Kaduna, according to the State Security Service (SSS).

On Tuesday, an investigator from the SSS testified in the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court that Tukur Mamu was offered N50 million by Shugaba, the leader of the terrorist group responsible for the 2022 attack on the train traveling from Abuja to Kaduna.

The SSS operative, who was the sixth witness for the prosecution in Mamu's terrorism trial, provided this information to Justice Mohammed Umar while being questioned by SSS lawyer David Kaswe. The witness, who spoke from behind a screen for safety reasons, also mentioned that the group requested Mamu's assistance in creating a website for their terrorist activities.

During the testimony, four voice notes were played in court, which included Mamu's phone conversations with the terrorists who had taken the train passengers hostage. These recordings were retrieved from Mamu's mobile phones during his interrogation after his arrest in Egypt and subsequent return to Nigeria.

“The first voice note was about Mamu scheduling a date for the ransom delivery. The second, lasting five minutes, featured Shugaba, the terrorist leader, thanking Mamu for his efforts and instructing him to take N50 million for his personal use from a specific ransom payment sent to them.

“In the final voice note, Baba Adamu, their spokesperson, asked Mamu to help them acquire speakers and a public address system for their preaching activities, to which Mamu replied he would consider their request. They also asked him to teach them how to set up a website for their operations,” the witness stated.

Mamu is accused of persuading the terrorists to negotiate ransom payments directly with the families of the hostages from the train attack, rather than through the Chief of Defence Staff Committee established by the federal government, for his own financial benefit.

 He is alleged to have collected ransoms on behalf of the terrorist group from the families of the hostages, confirmed the amounts, and facilitated their delivery to the group.